Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-02-24
MANUFACTURE OF TOOTHPIOKa.
A Place WI, re They Are Made by the
Million, and the Way The Are Made.


There are, I have been told. but three
toothpick factories In the United States.
One OF them is located AT Belmont. Ale
gany county, New Yo,k, just on t edge
OF the town and near lhe banks Of the
Genesee river.
In going over most factories one is gen.
orally ushered In at the wrong end that
is. where the completed work is ready for
shipment. This factory was no excep-
ton TO the rule, but l will take you be-
low stairs first and we will then work up
ward gradually.
The factory makes two articles OF
commerce, toothpicks, as already stated,
u allumettes, OF l~amplighters. 10
commence at first princip es.
We started In the basement, and after
exploring the engine room beto TX our
selves To where tue woodwork was In It's
first stages. We found in t.is second
room piles Of circular blocks OF wood
about sixteen inches In diameter by per-
haps five In thickness. THIS wood was
hard and soft maple and pine.
lnese are put into a revolving ma hins
when strip, hen OF their bark they
are then sent up 10 the IrsI floor. Here
they are again put into another revolving
machine whicn cuts them into line strips
which are then cut into the required
shape for toothpicks.
The picks are dropped out at one
side while the refuse falls from the other
into a shaft aud Is carried down to the
basement and subsequently used for
firing. Some are round, some square.
This little machine which makes them
onraar s aim nIa annnnh Ia. n. at.tpttt.taI
Tut IN reality Is quite complicated, con-
talnlng, weare informed, several hundred
knives.
These small articles Of after-dinner
service are then taken up to the second
story, where they are kept in q heated
Room until sufficiently dry for packing.
Descep mug 10 TIE first floor-for we
have followed our miniature guide up
stair and duwn-we enter u room where
several girls anu women and Two OF TIRES
boys are at work.
o4e girl we find stamping thin paste
board boxes with q press and Tn iold-
Ing these boxes b. hand with a rapidity
Impossible to be followed by the eye.
The experienced fingers grow very nim-
bic.
On the other side OF the room girls
were sorting and arranging picks and
putting tuem in boxes. The work was
executed with an alertness only acquired
through long practice.
The plan VI arranging them in bundles
preparatory 10 boxin- is this From the
large heap In trout draw a smaller guam
tity, yet several times larger than the
proposed bundle. These little sticks lay
at skies aud seyens as confused as the
most contrary pile OF jack s.raws. The
first motion 10 10 d. w the pile toward
the woraer. the second to draw the
hands across the pile laterally and
carry of any offending sticks that lay In
their way, and then close Ia the pile as
the third motion, again scattering and
arranging. R~eiueratlng these mo ions
with more or less yariat on soon brings
order out oil chaos. anu the pile grows
beautifully less As compact, neat bundles
assume tne desired shape and proper.
uon. They We're then quickly boxed and
thrown aside ready for the market.
In the manufacture OF the allumette
the wood Was cut into long strips Of wo
different widths, four and a half inches
Tor the a over, and a. ] remember
about eight inches for the wide, and q
thirty-second Of an inch in thickness.
These ""rr h"n huug { 900 u ans IN
drti foam, AMI Ia = i"sl. rip Dun-
INK" eflrr " rr ON Ma ,rrN .rr.ly,
L ~ ~rr' n"rward put by lic quanlily
mt u cuhi.- naclllnr, attended 10y a
10y wlien"' sued The uscfu, allumrlte
ready Tor u ''ung ami toNiuy.
7 1lIS la,..IK - moi ntI. a A. 81 the
sights a. Aliegany county, but indeed
OF New lork state, Tor. 10 The best of
my belief, i.Ic The only che ia New York.
! -Rnnhu.fu Ir-nnn